Hollywood actress who saw dad slain

Shocking fact: South African-born actress in Hollywood has seen her father killed before her eyes.

Get to know the story of South African-born actress in Hollywood whose father was killed before her eyes in cold blood.

Charlize Theron born 7 August 1975 is a South African-American actress and producer. She is the recipient of several accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, an American Cinematheque Award, and the Silver Bear for Best Actress.

What come as a shocking point in her early life is that on 21 June 1991, Theron's alcoholic father pulled a gun at both teenaged Charlize and her mother while being drunk, physically attacking both. Theron's mother retrieved her own handgun and killed him.

Despite such trauma in her life, she could pull herself together and later gained much prominence in Hollywood. The actress is a mother of two children.

Theron has opened up to the media about how her father's alcoholism affected her.

“My father was a very sick man,'' she said. "My father was an alcoholic all my life. I only knew him one way, and that was as an alcoholic. ... It was a pretty hopeless situation. Our family was just kind of stuck in it."

Charlize Theron also said she's “not ashamed” to talk about her father’s murder.